Ideas for week long continental tour?

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binka
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Joined: 11 Aug 2012, 8:51pm

Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by binka »

I'm looking for suggestions please.

The main criteria is to be flatish. Ive got a recumbent trike and it's not good on the hills....neither am I actually! :D

I live close to Hull so had been thinking of getting a ferry from there to Rotterdam or maybe Zebrugge. But a ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo is a possibility.

Id thought of maybe cycling the Rhine Route from Rotterdam??? But was worried that that end of the Rhine is a bit industrial/not very pretty? It looks nicer in parts of Germany?

Is it possible to get a train easily from Rotterdam a bit further inland/towards Germany and find somewhere more picturesque to cycle? But I don't want to waste too much time travelling and im worried about getting a recumbent trike on a train (it does fold up a bit but still very big and hard to manoeuvre in and out of trains when folded).

Ive never been to Bruges and that looks nice for a visit. Don't really want to go to Amsterdam as im worried about all the bike thefts. Don't really want the North sea coast route either as I can imagine if it's windy it wouldn't be very pleasant.

Any ideas?
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binka
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by binka »

Another option I guess is take the car on the Dover/Calais ferry or Dover/dunquerke and drive somewhere and do a circular tour. Don't think I could afford to take the car on the hull to Rotterdam ferry.
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eileithyia
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by eileithyia »

If it is of any help, we used a hotel in an Amsterdam suburb, it was by a fast rail route into the centre and next to it was a bike shop with underground bike storage facility, many of the dutch were doing just that when commuting into the centre. We our bike were perfectly safe stored there during our stay. Sadly i do not recall where it was exactly.

Quite frankly i do not think i would travel anywhere via Calais at present and would choose Hull esp if i lived closer to it.

Holland would certainly be a destination of choice for a short break that is flattish.
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
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foxyrider
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by foxyrider »

Trike on train? Not much chance! You can be in open country from Europort Rotterdam in a few minutes and once past Rotterdam eastwards it's pleasant enough and you don't have to go through the city to pass it. A week could easily get you up into the Düsseldorf area and back (you might get on some of the German trains). Alternatively you could cross the Maas and go up through Gouda to Utrecht etc.
I'll be on the ferry next week - looking forward to it!
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binka
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Joined: 11 Aug 2012, 8:51pm

Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by binka »

Thanks. Think I will stick with my idea of heading along the Rhine towards Düsseldorf then.
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Therealsouthstander
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by Therealsouthstander »

I can recommend this route I did a few weeks back during a heatwave.

Train from Frankfurt to Mainz

Mainz - Koblenz

Koblenz - Zell

Zell - Trier

Trier - Luxembourg City - Metz

Metz - Saverne

Saverne - Strasbourg - Colmar

Colmar - Basel

Train from Basel - Baden Baden

Baden Baden through the Black forest to Heidleburg

Heidleburg - Frankfurt Airport


Epic trip and I much preferred the Mossel river to the Rhine, much better cycle paths and scenery..
deckertim
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by deckertim »

I've just done a tour from Rotterdam to Kent via Bruges and Dunkirk. We did 85 miles in a day from Rotterdam to Bruges and it was fantastic. Within a few minutes of Rotterdam you're in the country.
Ron
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by Ron »

[quote="binka"]

As one criteria is to be flatish, this would rule out the north coast of France.
There is a frequent fast ferry service from central Rotterdam, leaving from beside Erasmus Bridge to Dordrecht, journey time approx. one hour and it takes you clear of the city and into more picturesque areas. The ferry is convenient for cyclists to use, more user friendly than most trains.
Ron
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by Ron »

Therealsouthstander wrote:I can recommend this route I did a few weeks back during a heatwave.

You did that in a one week tour :?: :shock:
700c
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by 700c »

Bruges is very quaint and picturesque. It's more a day trip than anything else.

A very nice and flat route would be ferry to St Malo then down the west coast of France.
Therealsouthstander
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Re: Ideas for week long continental tour?

Post by Therealsouthstander »

Ron wrote:
Therealsouthstander wrote:I can recommend this route I did a few weeks back during a heatwave.

You did that in a one week tour :?: :shock:



Did it in 8 days - Was solo so nobody to complain about how many miles I did per day... 102 miles was the most I did in one day and 652 in total..
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